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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 1. Haswell, Crysis 3, and secret fairy sauce. Read da OP

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I was just wondering if I could get a critique of this build, as I have no idea what I'm doing. Would like to run games @ 60fps 1080p. And will be doing video editing, Photoshop, Dolphin... If there's anything here I don't need, please let me know, as $ is tight right now. Thanks.

CPU: Intel 3570K 3.4 Ghz
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Pro4
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660ti 2GB
RAM: Samsung 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500GB 7500RPM
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912
PSU: Antec 450W ATX12V
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD writer
 

mkenyon

Banned
Lol, yeah, I'm still a 60hz pleb. A 120hz monitor is my second extra purchase for the new rig, right after another ssd.
Well just uncap it, you'll still get the benefits of input, even if your display can't show it all.
I was just wondering if I could get a critique of this build, as I have no idea what I'm doing. Would like to run games @ 60fps 1080p. And will be doing video editing, Photoshop, Dolphin... If there's anything here I don't need, please let me know, as $ is tight right now. Thanks.

CPU: Intel 3570K 3.4 Ghz
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Pro4
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660ti 2GB
RAM: Samsung 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500GB 7500RPM
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912
PSU: Antec 450W ATX12V
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD writer
Video Editing via Premiere or Vegas?

You'd benefit from a 3770K in Photoshop/Rendering regardless of the above question. Only you can answer if the $100 hike is worth it though.
 

Koroviev

Member
Well just uncap it, you'll still get the benefits of input, even if your display can't show it all.

Video Editing via Premiere or Vegas?

You'd benefit from a 3770K in Photoshop/Rendering regardless of the above question. Only you can answer if the $100 hike is worth it though.

He should take advantage of he Micro Center offer if possible. He could get an i7 for the cost of an i5.

And screen tearing sucks :(
 

mkenyon

Banned
I think there's a large number of people that were once told screen tearing sucks, so they do anything they can to limit it. I'm sure there are people out there that would die if they had to deal with it, like Dennis, Exodu5, or Sethos. But really, do people have that much of an issue with it? Maybe I'm just less sensitive to these sorts of things.
 
I forgot which editing program I have. My computer is dead, so I can't check. It's the cheaper version of Vegas I guess.. was $100. There are no Microcentrs around here, sadly. Is my PSU sufficient, and how much better will games look with this build vs what I am used to with 360/PS3?
 

Momentary

Banned
Well... I've been trying to put together this grocery list of everything I want for my water cooling system and the further I get along with it the more questions I start asking myself. Since I'm using internal tube reservoirs what do I do to fill them and what do I buy for a release valve and where's the best place to put it. I guess I could use common sense on the last one, but I just want to make sure.

So far I've found quick disconnects from Koolance on FrozneCPU.com. Are there any other products out there that do a better job?
 

scogoth

Member
Well... I've been trying to put together this grocery list of everything I want for my water cooling system and the further I get along with it the more questions I start asking myself. Since I'm using internal tube reservoirs what do I do to fill them and what do I buy for a release valve and where's the best place to put it. I guess I could use common sense on the last one, but I just want to make sure.

So far I've found quick disconnects from Koolance on FrozneCPU.com. Are there any other products out there that do a better job?
List all your parts for water cooling and have mkenyon verify them.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Well... I've been trying to put together this grocery list of everything I want for my water cooling system and the further I get along with it the more questions I start asking myself. Since I'm using internal tube reservoirs what do I do to fill them and what do I buy for a release valve and where's the best place to put it. I guess I could use common sense on the last one, but I just want to make sure.

So far I've found quick disconnects from Koolance on FrozneCPU.com. Are there any other products out there that do a better job?
Yeah, drill a hole in the floor of your case and then put a fill port/drain port there. Put a stop fitting in one end, and a barb/comp fitting on the other.

Or, just cut/pull off tubing from where you want to drain it.

Filling it is as simple as attaching a barb to your reservoir, tube to that, and then pour in the tube.
i wonder what's gonna happen to pc building when the steambox is out

esp if that thing is upgradable..
Same as it always was. I'd imagine people who are buying X51s would start buying those.
 

Talents

Banned
Thanks for your help everyone on helping me get my computer right! Could you guys review over what I've picked (and what you guys helped me pick) to make sure everything's good.

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus
CPU: Intel i5 3570K
CPU Heatsink: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
RAM: Corsair 8GB 1600MHZ (DDR3)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7970
PSU: Corsair 750W
MOBO: Asus P8Z77-V LX
Storage: 1 TB Seagate SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB
 

Koroviev

Member
I think there's a large number of people that were once told screen tearing sucks, so they do anything they can to limit it. I'm sure there are people out there that would die if they had to deal with it, like Dennis, Exodu5, or Sethos. But really, do people have that much of an issue with it? Maybe I'm just less sensitive to these sorts of things.

Screen tearing drives me nuts. I tried to put up with it in Far Cry 3, but I still ended up going with 30 locked.
 

scogoth

Member
Thanks for your help everyone on helping me get my computer right! Could you guys review over what I've picked (and what you guys helped me pick) to make sure everything's good.

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus
CPU: Intel i5 3570K
CPU Heatsink: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
RAM: Corsair 8GB 1600MHZ (DDR3)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7970
PSU: Corsair 750W
MOBO: Asus P8Z77-V LX
Storage: 1 TB Seagate SATA-III HDD 7200 RPM 64MB

Looks great. No SSD?
 

Momentary

Banned
Yeah, drill a hole in the floor of your case and then put a fill port/drain port there. Put a stop fitting in one end, and a barb/comp fitting on the other.

Or, just cut/pull off tubing from where you want to drain it.

Filling it is as simple as attaching a barb to your reservoir, tube to that, and then pour in the tube.


Thanks. That's what I was thinking of doing to fill it, but I just wanted to make sure it was the proper way. Going with a D5 Pump with and EK-D5 top. Just waiting to hear back from EK as to whether or not the EK-D5 comes with it's own mounting plate so that I can just buy the Liang D5 pump without the stock top.
 
I thought I would wait until the Radeon 8000 series and GTX 700 series are released before buying a new video card, but the Never Settle Reloaded bundles, the lowered prices of the 7870, and the rumored delay of AMD and Nvidia's next GPUs has me reconsidering. I'd like to upgrade my computer, but I want my next upgrade to be sufficient for playing multiplatform versions of next generation games for at least the next few years. Based on the recently leaked Orbis and Durango specs, does it seem feasible that a 7870 could maintain parity with next generation consoles? Despite claims of console optimization, I've seen recent current generation games running at 720p and Low/Medium (console equivalent) settings on video cards similar to Xenos generally performing about as well as they do on consoles. This leads me to believe that a 7870 might be adequate for a while, at least as long as I don't use a higher display resolution or enable effects that aren't present in the console versions of games. Is this a misguided assumption? Maybe I should at least wait until at least the end of March to see if new cards are announced before the Never Settle Bundle Reloaded deal expires. I can't make up my mind, but I want to upgrade my 5750 soon. :/
 

mkenyon

Banned
Thanks. That's what I was thinking of doing to fill it, but I just wanted to make sure it was the proper way. Going with a D5 Pump with and EK-D5 top. Just waiting to hear back from EK as to whether or not the EK-D5 comes with it's own mounting plate so that I can just buy the Liang D5 pump without the stock top.
For simplicity's sake, I'd suggest going with the X-Res 140. That does indeed come with a mounting bracket, and it actually decouples the pump to make it nearly silent. Pretty rad setup. Then just grab a D5 vario (very important that you get a vario, it has a higher setting with much better pressure/flow than standard D5s) of your choice. Could get the Aquacomputer if you are going the Aquaero route.
I don't think a 7850 is going to push 120Hz in most games. And I don't do any competitive gaming...
You'd be surprised. There's a lot of games that will get there no problem. Even if they don't, it makes everything better, even desktop use. It also cures cancer, enables world peace, and saves kittens from trees.
 

mr2xxx

Banned
I thought I would wait until the Radeon 8000 series and GTX 700 series are released before buying a new video card, but the Never Settle Reloaded bundles, the lowered prices of the 7870, and the rumored delay of AMD and Nvidia's next GPUs has me reconsidering.... :/

Since you seem more budget conscious than needing the latest and greatest, I would jump on a deal if one came out. It will be a big upgrade over what you currently have. Also I doubt whatever mid range GPU you get today or later this year will last you till the end of the next gen console lifespan so don't even worry about it.
 

Saty

Member
I'm not sure what you mean.

79BdLMHG5HZtP06s_500.jpg

Don't the 3 jacks limit 5.1\7.1 setups?

--
On the subject on mobos, i'm going back and forth between Gigabyte's Z77-D3H and MSI's Z77A-G45. Other than MSI's being SLI compatible, they are pretty even from what i read. Do they overclock the same?
 

Koroviev

Member
For simplicity's sake, I'd suggest going with the X-Res 140. That does indeed come with a mounting bracket, and it actually decouples the pump to make it nearly silent. Pretty rad setup. Then just grab a D5 vario (very important that you get a vario, it has a higher setting with much better pressure/flow than standard D5s) of your choice. Could get the Aquacomputer if you are going the Aquaero route.

You'd be surprised. There's a lot of games that will get there no problem. Even if they don't, it makes everything better, even desktop use. It also cures cancer, enables world peace, and saves kittens from trees.

Which video cards are recommended for that?
 

mkenyon

Banned
Which video cards are recommended for that?
Well, I'm not a huge graphics guy. I'll generally play any game and turn down random AA/misc settings until I have frame latency in the 8.3ms range.

But with PC exclusives targeted towards lower power machines, and the slew of console ports that are out there, 8.3ms isn't really out of the question even with high settings on a 7850. You'll need to tone down the AA a bit, but it's very doable.
Don't the 3 jacks limit 5.1\7.1 setups?

--
On the subject on mobos, i'm going back and forth between Gigabyte's Z77-D3H and MSI's Z77A-G45. Other than MSI's being SLI compatible, they are pretty even from what i read. Do they overclock the same?
That's what the optical out is for.

MSI's Z77 offerings outside of the M Power are all outperformed by other boards. The best bang for the buck is the ASRock Extreme 4, as outlined in the OP.
 

Koroviev

Member
Well, I'm not a huge graphics guy. I'll generally play any game and turn down random AA/misc settings until I have frame latency in the 8.3ms range.

But with PC exclusives targeted towards lower power machines, and the slew of console ports that are out there, 8.3ms isn't really out of the question even with high settings on a 7850. You'll need to tone down the AA a bit, but it's very doable.

That's what the optical out is for.

MSI's Z77 offerings outside of the M Power are re all outperformed by other boards. The best bang for the buck is the ASRock Extreme 4, as outlined in the OP.

Okay, so sell me on the 120Hz thing. What are the benefits? And how far off are the monitors from becoming a mainstream offering for PC users?

Here are my other specs:

- 7850 (2gb)
- 3570K
- H77
- Enermax Ostrog case
- Hyper 212 Evo
- 256gb 840 Pro
- 1080p 25" monitor @60Hz
- 8GB Samsung RAM
- 500W Corsair CX

Anything that I should upgrade for the hell of it? "Spare" parts go to my sister, who has a lousy pc. Again, the most intensive thing I do is gaming. I like eye candy.

I already have a mechanical keyboard and the Xornet mouse.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Z77 + 120Hz and then you are at top of the line pretty much.

This is the only way that it can be put visually without seeing it first hand:


It's like seeing things move seamlessly, 100% fluid motion. The way that you feel about 30Hz is how 120Hz folks feel about 60Hz, in terms of choppiness.
 

Xdrive05

Member
Z77 + 120Hz and then you are at top of the line pretty much.

This is the only way that it can be put visually without seeing it first hand:



It's like seeing things move seamlessly, 100% fluid motion. The way that you feel about 30Hz is how 120Hz folks feel about 60Hz, in terms of choppiness.

I even overclocked my ASUS VH232H to 68hz instead of 60hz... and I can totally tell a difference. My old Samsung 220wm would go to 75hz analogue and the difference was night and day. 120hz must be refresh sex.
 
Z77 + 120Hz and then you are at top of the line pretty much.

This is the only way that it can be put visually without seeing it first hand:



It's like seeing things move seamlessly, 100% fluid motion. The way that you feel about 30Hz is how 120Hz folks feel about 60Hz, in terms of choppiness.

Oh my goodness... haha.
Related question: Does refresh rate improve this choppiness? (say, my 60Hz at 2ms)
I'm not sure how they work in conjuction.

I even overclocked my ASUS VH232H to 68hz instead of 60hz... and I can totally tell a difference. My old Samsung 220wm would go to 75hz analogue and the difference was night and day. 120hz must be refresh sex.

Woah, this is exactly what I was thinking about just now. My ASUS VS237H-P is at 60Hz, but when I try to make it 75Hz in the drop-down menu on my Catalyst Program, it won't let me keep the same resolution. Why is this?
 

Koroviev

Member
Z77 + 120Hz and then you are at top of the line pretty much.

This is the only way that it can be put visually without seeing it first hand:



It's like seeing things move seamlessly, 100% fluid motion. The way that you feel about 30Hz is how 120Hz folks feel about 60Hz, in terms of choppiness.

When is the best time to buy one? I'd like to have options and I don't want to buy at the peak only to have the price go down substantially.
 

RS4-

Member
Well then, it looks like the 900D is going to be released at the end of the month/early March.

Something like that.
 

Xdrive05

Member
when I try to make it 75Hz in the drop-down menu on my Catalyst Program, it won't let me keep the same resolution. Why is this?

Do Catalyst drivers let you create a custom resolutions like Nvidia's?

I'm on Nvidia, and for my VH232H in HDMI mode 68hz is the max it can handle without getting weird screen flickers. Even 69hz is a no-go. In DVI mode it can only do 65hz, and over VGA it's the same.

That old analog Samsung was a boss at 75hz (but the screen was a little fuzzy due to not being a digital signal). I still miss those last few hz though.
 

DTKT

Member
Don't you need at least 120FPS to have the full effect of 120hz? You need a pretty beastly system to get higher than 120 FPS at 1080 with some AA.
 
Do Catalyst drivers let you create a custom resolutions like Nvidia's?

I'm on Nvidia, and for my VH232H in HDMI mode 68hz is the max it can handle without getting weird screen flickers. Even 69hz is a no-go. In DVI mode it can only do 65hz, and over VGA it's the same.

That old analog Samsung was a boss at 75hz (but the screen was a little fuzzy due to not being a digital signal). I still miss those last few hz though.
Hmm... I think so. Its default is at 60Hz but there are options up to 75Hz. But when I choose 75, 1080p option goes away haha.

Darn those Korean panels...
 

Saty

Member
That's what the optical out is for.

MSI's Z77 offerings outside of the M Power are all outperformed by other boards. The best bang for the buck is the ASRock Extreme 4, as outlined in the OP.

Unfortunately here the Asrock is ~75$ more expensive than GA-Z77-D3H :\
 

Koroviev

Member
Don't you need at least 120FPS to have the full effect of 120hz? You need a pretty beastly system to get higher than 120 FPS at 1080 with some AA.

The selection seems to be very poor right now, unless I'm not searching properly.
 

Xdrive05

Member
Can anyone recommend a good free video recording software for a webcam? (especially one that can record an unlimited amount of time to my harddrive)
 

mkenyon

Banned
What does the Z77 offer relative to the H77 other than the ability to overclock?
Generally they are going to be more full featured. More ports, better NICs, better on board sound, chips to multiply PCI-E lanes, etc.
The selection seems to be very poor right now, unless I'm not searching properly.
If you are a color purist and want a gloss screen, pick up a Samsung S23A700/750D. Fry's has been running sales for in-store purchases on them for the last few months. Quite a few of them still carry them. The ASUS VG236H is really hard to find, and offers similar color quality with a lower input lag than the Samsung. If you can score a used one, I'd have no reservations about it.

The new ASUS 144Hz screen is supposed to be out soon too.
Well then, it looks like the 900D is going to be released at the end of the month/early March.

Something like that.
LD PC-V7 will be in stock at Frozen CPU by the end of this month, hopefully. Much much better case than the 900D.
 

Akai__

Member
LD PC-V7 will be in stock at Frozen CPU by the end of this month, hopefully. Much much better case than the 900D.

You really like the Little Devil cases, right? :)
I must admit, that the guy, with the "tainted freshly squeezed" project, did a pretty impressive job, with his one.
 

Koroviev

Member
Generally they are going to be more full featured. More ports, better NICs, better on board sound, chips to multiply PCI-E lanes, etc.

If you are a color purist and want a gloss screen, pick up a Samsung S23A700/750D. Fry's has been running sales for in-store purchases on them for the last few months. Quite a few of them still carry them. The ASUS VG236H is really hard to find, and offers similar color quality with a lower input lag than the Samsung. If you can score a used one, I'd have no reservations about it.

The new ASUS 144Hz screen is supposed the to be out soon too.

LD PC-V7 will be in stock at Frozen CPU by the end of this month, hopefully. Much much better case than the 900D.

Will the next batch of monitors ship without the 3D gimmick? Because I don't want to pay extra for that and it seems to be a feature of all of the current 120Hz monitors.
 

mkenyon

Banned
It's about as close as it gets to what I consider a perfect case. I'm not very fond of the PC-V8, as it is just too huge. The PC-V7 has great dimensions, insanely modular, perfect spacing of even the HDD cages to allow for proper radiators, all thick aluminum, elegant exterior.

It's nothing I would ever recommend to even a standard enthusiast. But if you're looking at the 900D, it seems like a no-brainer to go that extra mile to get a truly high class piece of kit. I get the allure of the 900D though. Some people just really really like Corsair products, some people like really big cases with tons of features. It hits the check boxes for those folks.


The rails you see along the top and front can mount 5.25" devices. So you could mount things like a fan controller, bay reservoir, or Aquaero on the roof of the case if you so desire.
 
If CPU-Z is showing my RAM's max frequency as 667MHz, does that mean I have really slow RAM on my work PC?

RAM - Micron DDR3 4GB PC3-10700 16jtf51264az-1G4D1 (x2)
CPU - i7 2600K
MOBO - Intel DP37BA
GPU - 560Ti 1GB
SSD - 80GB (OS Drive, Win 7 64-bit)
HDD - 1.5TB 7200rpm

Is that RAM really limiting my overall performance in Premiere Pro CS5.5?
 

iavi

Member
The throttling bug with my 7950 decided to become permanent, so I'm reverting to the 13.1 drivers. The beta drivers were all over the place.

Hopefully this fixes it
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Can anyone recommend a good free video recording software for a webcam? (especially one that can record an unlimited amount of time to my harddrive)
OBS
If CPU-Z is showing my RAM's max frequency as 667MHz, does that mean I have really slow RAM on my work PC?

RAM - Micron DDR3 4GB PC3-10700 16jtf51264az-1G4D1 (x2)
CPU - i7 2600K
MOBO - Intel DP37BA
GPU - 560Ti 1GB
SSD - 80GB (OS Drive, Win 7 64-bit)
HDD - 1.5TB 7200rpm

Is that RAM really limiting my overall performance in Premiere Pro CS5.5?
No. 667MHz is 1333Mhz (Double Data Rate, Generation 3). If you run out of RAM that will limit you though :p

RAM differences are extremely negligible, although for video encoding you can kind of justify the $5-10 premium for 1866Mhz sticks, but it's just like a 5% boost at max. In general use RAM differences are like 0-3%. Even less if use 1600Mhz as a starting point vs 1333.
 
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